''The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd'' (1953) was the 52nd
serial released by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
. It is based in the
historical figure
A historical figure is a significant person in history.
The significance of such figures in human progress has been debated. Some think they play a crucial role, while others say they have little impact on the broad currents of thought and social ...
of
Captain William Kidd
William Kidd, also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd ( – 23 May 1701), was a Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate. He was tried and executed in London in 1701 for murder a ...
.
Plot
In 1697, agents Richard Dale and Alan Duncan are sent on an undercover mission by the British Fleet to find and gather information on the notorious pirate, Captain William Kidd. Dale and Duncan soon join Kidd's crew and discover, to their surprise, that the Captain is quite different from what they had expected.
Cast
*
Richard Crane as Richard Dale
*
David Bruce as Alan Duncan
*
John Crawford as Capt. Kidd (Crawford was equally proficient at playing both good and bad characters. His casting added to ambiguity over Captain Kidd's guilt or innocence.)
*
George Wallace as Buller
*
Lee Roberts
Lee Roberts (June 17, 1913 – April 24, 1989) was a film actor during the Hollywood Golden Age. Sometimes he is credited as Robert Allen or Lee J. Roberts.
Career
Little is known about this man who appeared in over 100 films between 1943 a ...
as DeVry
*
Paul Newlan
Paul Emory Newlan (June 29, 1903 – November 23, 1973) was an American film and TV character actor from Plattsmouth, Nebraska. He was best known for his role as Captain Grey on the NBC police series ''M Squad'' and for his roles in films incl ...
as Long Ben Avery
*
Nick Stuart as Dr. Brandt
*
Terry Frost
Sir Terence Ernest Manitou Frost RA (13 October 1915 – 1 September 2003) was a British abstract artist, who worked in Newlyn, Cornwall. Frost was renowned for his use of the Cornish light, colour and shape to start a new art movement in ...
as Moore
*
John Hart as Jenkins
*
Marshall Reed
Marshall Jewel Reed (May 28, 1917 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1943 and 1978. He was born in Englewood, Colorado.
Early years
Reed's parents were Walter George Reed and Ruth Dustin. By a ...
as Capt. Culliford
*Eduardo Cansino Jr. as Native
Production
This was the last costume serial and possibly the most faithful of the rare serial entries in the swashbuckling genre since Pirate Treasure.
The plot was based on the possibility that the real Captain Kidd was misjudged in an unfair trial.
Stock footage from feature films allowed the inclusion of seafaring scenes, which would have been too expensive to film on a serial budget. This resulted in, according to Cline, "a unique flavour for which it is fondly remembered."
Chapter titles
# Pirate vs. Man-of-War
# The Fatal Shot
# Attacked by Captain Kidd
# Captured by Captain Kidd
# Mutiny on the Adventure's Galley
# Murder on the Main Deck
# Prisoners of War
# Mutiny Unmasked
# Pirate Against Pirate
# Shot from the Parapet
# The Flaming Fortress
# Before the Firing Squad
# In the Hands of the Mohawks
# Pirate Gold
# Captain Kidd's Last Chance
Source:
References
Sources
Cinefania.com
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Adventures of Captain Kidd, The
1953 films
1950s English-language films
American black-and-white films
Columbia Pictures film serials
1953 adventure films
Films set in the 1690s
Films set in the 1700s
American adventure films
Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton
Cultural depictions of William Kidd
Films directed by Derwin Abrahams
1950s American films